Rather than playing second fiddle to the international music acts and local headliners, the curated food offering at Littlegig Festival 2017 is also a star of the show! While the 2016 event had award-winning local chef, Bertus Basson, at its helm, the second edition of Littlegig, which runs from 28-29 January 2017 at Wiesenhof Farm in Stellenbosch, takes things on the culinary front to the next level.

Littlegig is the country’s only all-included, 24-hour, curated festival of food, wine, music, art, design and fashion. So all the delectable food and drink on offer is included in the ticket price – with the exception of the international Chef’s Table presented by global wonder chef, Rasmus Munk, of Alchemist restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark.

There’s an abundance of all-day food presented by top caterer Annalize Sainsbury of Escoffier. The fare focuses on hearty, unfussy yet fabulous meals suited to a festival environment. That’s not forgetting the complimentary convenience store, if extra sweet treats are in order!

In addition, the Saturday afternoon sees a Chef-and-Farmer’s Tasting presented by four celebrity chefs and two farmers who are at the forefront of South African food and its production. Chefs Chris Erasmus of Foliage, PJ Vadas of the Hoghouse, Jason Lilley of Jason’s Bakery, and the aforementioned Munk, will pair up with farmers Angus McIntosh of Spier and Wayne Rademeyer of Buffalo Ridge to present highly crafted taste sensations.

This powerhouse will assemble an array of eight tasting delights, including the three delectable mouthfuls highlighted here: crayfish, lime and ginger koeksisters with charred corn and burnt cucumber salad; seared aged beef sirloin with ale pickled onions, watercress and sesame and soy dressing; and an ‘ashtray’ of caramelized leeks with potatoes and dehydrated tomatoes.

On the drinks side, there’s a tutored wine tasting featuring wines from the Simonsberg region, curated by Tokara winemaker, Miles Mossop. Patrons can also visit a string of pop-up bars in fantastical locations, including a Champagne Salon, Rum Shack, Tropical Bass Bar (serving craft beer and cold-pressed fruit juices) on an old basketball court, Tequila Bar, Gin & Single Malt Bar and Barrista Bar.

An undeniable highlight of the festival has to be the Chef’s Table taking place on the Saturday night, where 40 lucky foodies can book to experience a meal created by Munk, one of the world’s most exciting upcoming chefs, at an additional cost of R1000 per head.

Bookings for both the festival and Chef’s Table are via www.quicket.co.za. The festival opens at 11h00 on Saturday and the foodie feast begins at 12h00 and runs until 11h00 the following day. The all-day menu is as follows: